Nakawuka and a moment...

I was asked to be ready at 6:30 in the morning to accompany George and Esther (ADRA development workers) to Wakiso district once again. They would be having a meeting with beneficiaries. It was still very dark when I woke up, and by 6:30 I was standing outside the office but no car was to be seen. The driver fetched me at 7:45. Puh… Africa time, but at least I got a chance to see the sunrise. It was amazing. I saw the bright sun rise up and the darkness was now exchanged with light. At times when you stand still and observe the nature you get amazed what a perfect function everything has. I do not understand how some people can think all of it is a coincidence and doubt the fact that there is an intelligent design behind it all.

When they finally fetched me we headed on a three hour drive. George was explaining the programme of the day. It would be a long day since a lot of work had to be done. I was looking forward to being on the field and see the meetings held with the beneficiaries. We eventually reached our destination. This area was unlike the other field work projects. It was not dry and sandy but very green. The nature was like a garden of trees embracing the path we drove into. On the side of the path some beneficiaries were seated on the green grass. George picked two passion fruits from a nearby tree and gave them to me to eat. It was delicious. I took a seat next to Esther. An old lady who was one of the beneficiaries took a seat next to us. She was wearing a torn green dress and her breasts were showing. She was smiling and apologized for forgetting to put on a bra. The old lady was very nice and talkative. Esther kept telling her how pretty she looked. The old lady wore a red pearl necklace for the occasion and looked very pleased to be pampered with flattery from Esther. Esther questioned why her skin was lighter than most Africans and she said she had some mixture from Rwanda. Apparently they can be lighter in skin. The old lady said she had 14 children and only 4 were still alive. The other ten had died of sicknesses. She also said she can not walk. She asked Esther to call one of her grand children to take her to the hospital, and Esther asked for the number to do so. However the old lady had no number. Esther said that it is sad that the grand children don’t to their duty and visit their grandmother.

The meeting began and a lot was discussed. Some of the things mentioned were problems the community had. They said they are too big families and each household has about 15 children. They expressed that the only water resource they have is only a km away but people from that area plant eucalyptus trees and build homes just by the water so the water resource is drained. They also expressed that other locals invade their area and the grassing land of their animals. Then Esther brings up the perspective of advocacy. She explains the importance it is for the community to speak to each other and to advocate for their rights. She went further into details about how they need to explain to the other members in the community of how their actions destroy the water. Regarding the grassing dispute they arrangements amongst them need to be established. They need to work as a group and to reach an understanding as a community. I do not speak the language so most of what was said was translated to me. Nevertheless the facial expressions and the body language of the beneficiaries spoke the loudest. I felt a sense of resilience from the beneficiaries of what was said. I felt that the mindset the beneficiaries were in and what Esther was speaking of was not on the same level. It is not necessarily a matter that Esther was speaking in difficult terms, but the beneficiaries did not fully seem to buy the concept of advocacy and human rights. However these communities have during the years received a lot of service delivery (Goods and training in skills) from ADRA. Now it is time for them to be empowered and act for themselves than just thinking in terms of receiving. When we were later seated in the car I asked Esther about this, and she said that the beneficiaries do not fully buy the concept of human rights and often tells Esther. “Human rights can work in the west where it belongs, but not in Africa”.  I asked Esther if she believes in Human rights. The otherwise quite timid woman said loudly- yes I do. In this case I used myself as a tool and I told her I have a background in human rights. She then eagerly spoke a lot about human rights and I could really see her passion about the topic. She said I do believe Africa needs human rights in order to stop the criminality and corruption that goes on. Some fellow Africans say that it is impossible to do so here. She continued saying, if it works in the west then why should it not work here? What creates the misery? It is people themselves. And if people are aware of their rights, change can take place. The question is how to make this recognition of human rights appeal to the beneficiaries. Change is possible but takes time, and it starts by first making an impact.

                      The days are swiftly passing by in Uganda, and now two months have passed since I arrived here. Tomorrow Alexandra a good friend of mine from Sweden is coming to pay a visit and we will be travelling to Kenya and Tanzania for two weeks. I am looking forward to some backpacking adventure. Since I came to Africa I have got a different energy and I find myself more active which is nice considering I have got the nickname couch potato by some J. I spend the days in the office or in the field. In the evenings I play badminton with Elin, Robin and at times the neighbors or the workers of ADRA. Sometimes Elin and I go for long walks with the dogs, and yesterday evening we went running. The Africans were just staring and others were laughing at us Europeans just running for the sake of running. Halfway school children accompanied us and ran next to us. The sun was setting and we were running up and down a hill path. I know I will miss Africa and the people, but I cherish the days I have here, even if they only feel like a moment. The truth is that everything passes and all we have in life is a collection of moments. This is a moment I will cherish and bear with me.

Time and thoughts..

A few days ago I accompanied Alfred and Esther on a field mission to Nakawuka. Jimmy was the driver. Jimmy was the one who drove me to Kamwenge and we got along well in each other’s company so I was pleased to see that he would be the driver. After being here for almost two months I feel very much at home and the staff at ADRA whom I first had a difficulties connecting with have now become very open and welcomed me in many ways.  

It has rained today to everyone’s surprise. A drought was expected and the government has requested everyone to be careful with the goods and to store a lot of food before it would lessen in the markets and the prices would rise. However like the radio station jokingly said about the rain, is that when drought is expected by the meteorology it always rains and vice versa. However one of the concerns now is the amount of babies that will be produced since when it is “cold” (In of course African terms, and not cold in European terms) Africans search for heat and a lot of babies will be produced. The amount of family members in African families is extensive. When I say that I only have one older brother they get very surprised and question why. Here there is a high number of family members but also high numbers of mortality. The average life span is 44 years old, and this is apparently a lot compared to what it used to be. The traditional values are also very intriguing. There is countless number of clans in Uganda and two people of the same clan can not marry. For example if my mother would belong to the monkey clan and my father to the dragon clan (Yes that is what they are called) I can not marry from those groups, but I can marry a man from the pig clan. Then I automatically become a pig clan member. All that belong to the same clan are considered to be brothers and sisters.  Brothers and sisters is a common term and when they refer to this you do not know if they mean a blood relative or a clan member.

Whilst listening to the radio we turned off from the main road and continued our journey to Nakawuka. The sandy roads were clear red and the rain was pouring down. We arrived to a simple building by a petrol shed in the centre of Nakawuka. When I speak of petrol shed I mean two pumps that are rotated by hand. We entered in to a simple office with a big table in the middle and two computers on the side. The Community based group eventually came and a meeting was held about advocacy. The group was given a task of writing a constitution of their rights and this was now going to be reviewed.  After the meeting Alfred was going through some further details of the project with the others which would just take a short while. I could join if I wished but I decided to go to the car and wait. Jimmy and I sat in the car and we were talking about everything and nothing. We were comparing Europe and Africa in matters of love tradition and culture. I had my mp3 with me, so he was listening to some of my music and I his. It was a nice talk but we were seated in the car for almost four hours. I was wondering how much longer this “short” meeting would take, and I went in to speak to Alfred. He apologized and said there were two cars so Jimmy and I could go if we wished. I was ok with that, but wished he would have said this a bit earlier. Nevertheless I did enjoy sitting and talking to Jimmy. Back home sitting and waiting in a car for four hours would seem like a waste of time, but is it actually ever a waste of time? Every moment in life is a learning experience even if it is just sitting still and doing nothing but reflecting on one’s own thoughts. I have got a completely different understanding to time since I arrived here. “Africa time” does tests my patience sometimes but I have got much more patient in these matters which I am pleased with and needed.  

The following day we headed off to get some exercise and a swim. Rebecca and Eric accompanied us. Rebecca is the housemaid of the Karlsson family and Eric is a friend. Eric is Ugandan and has been to Norway once in the intent of selling books. The most common words he learnt there was "Nej tack" and "icke pengar" (which is no thanks and no money). He constantly uses those phrases :) I am not a big fan of exercising but standing on the treadmill and overlooking the beautiful scenery placed me in the right mood. Then we took a hop in the swimming pool and it was just great. We were trying to teach Rebecca and Eric how to swim. It was an amusing sight. Then other Africans were intrigued and Elin ended up being a swimming teacher for about four Africans.

After being in Uganda for almost two months and having close relations with the Country director of ADRA and his family, I have realized how much I love it here. Even though I do miss a few people at home, my longing for going back is limited. I feel like I have become a part of the family here, with Thore, Siri, Robin and Elin. Moreover the people here like my neighboors Purity, Joseph and my relations with the ADRA workers have just grown. However, I have been through this many times before, meeting for a season and then parting. Some situations are best enjoyed with a time limit. Nevertheless like my mother always says, “to meet and then to part is the hardest thing in human heart” and this is true.

I have always wanted to work with humanitarian aid since I was young and all of my choices have been towards this direction. Yet this has not come without any sacrifices. You need to have a special character to be willing to give up the commodities and stability that Europe can offer, and not everyone I have met has been willing to do so. I am soon done with my masters and I need about one more year of experience in this field, so I am in a situation where I am asking myself this question. Am I actually prepared to give up my stable ground now that the opportunity lies before me? Since I got here I have been able to make a few connections, and I myself have searched for some volunteer or job offers within the ADRA offices. Some possible offers have been placed in front of me. For example a position in Niger which is the poorest country in the world, and it is 45 degrees hot during their cold season (Though, I do not know if I can bare the extreme heat). I am also still awaiting replies from some other offices around the world. There are a few things hanging in the air. I might end up anywhere but as long as I am making a small difference in any way I can, I am pleased. This all sounds very abstract, even for me, but I am waiting with anticipation of where the nearest future will lead me…

Karamoja part 2, and the aftermath of the elections not yet concluded...

Early morning the following day we ate breakfast at the hotel which would be the only meal we could get during the day. The meal was bread, one boiled egg, a few pineapple slices and a banana. We had filled the cars with water bottles, juice and crackers since we would not be able to eat anything else during the day. We picked up the soldiers from the military camp in Karamoja and headed into the remote areas. Some of the soldiers accompanying us were fairly young and others not. They wore camouflaged clothing and had big riffles. The commander of the soldiers had been a soldier in Ida Amins army so regardless of age the soldiers were apparently trained very well.  The military and police in Uganda strictly refuse to let you take pictures of them, but I managed to get one with the younger soldiers whilst the others got angry just seeing the camera. I engaged in a conversation with the younger soldiers asking them a few questions. They said they had killed several warriors but had also lost a few colleagues. They let me hold their rifle which was my first time to hold a weapon. When we drove up to the dam area where the construction was taking place it was just so dry, and nothing to be seen for miles. There were a few tents set up for the engineers and constructors and of course for the military staff. After a two hour discussion out in the burning sun and me getting sun struck we headed to meet the village people who would be relocated to the dam area when it would be finished. We could not take the soldiers with us to the village but left them behind in the dam camp. In every tribe there are men who are warriors and arriving to the village with soldiers is coming with the enemy. The soldier’s protection is only needed when travelling in case there would be fierce warriors ambushing the ADRA cars. However we were heading to a village which knew ADRA and liked the fact that ADRA was building a dam for them. So we did not need to fear that the warriors of that village would use their rifles on us. When arriving to the village which was a small area with a few huts, I was overwhelmed with all the children that came running towards us. They were happy to see us but most of all they were intrigued by the camera. I took pictures of the children and they were posing and laughing and were amazed by the fact that they could see themselves. I had to pretty much take pictures of them constantly to keep them entertained and if I didn’t I would feel bad since it was such a joy for them. I was truly swamped with children around me. They were so dirty and some of them just had a sheet wrapped around there bodies. Like one ADRA worker said, even if they would have liked to take a wash they can not since they have no water. I wanted to hug them all, but could not since they have so much of germs. My heart sank of the fact that they go through so much of suffering, but yet they have a smile on their face when seeing us. When meeting Kayobi, who is an ADRA fieldworker who has lived with them for three months, I was amazed. He has lived under extreme conditions for the welfare of others. Hats off for people like that. Kayobi lives in a dangerous area not knowing when a tribe war might break out, sharing a small hut with four other people. At night he is covered with rat spilling. He said it is tuff but he has got used to it. Thore told me that very few people wish to be in these conditions of extreme poverty and tribe wars but ADRA field workers do so in order to help the beneficiaries to help themselves. To reach sustainable development and change you can not just give them food and leave, but give them the knowledge and self worth to reach it themselves. Kayobi is teaching the children ABC and training the adults in agriculture, so that when they dam is built and they have received seeds and the knowledge to plant, they can keep it running by themselves. Even though I saw Kayobis hut I was not able to see any of the others, since in some of them rifles are being hidden. As said previously, the young men amongst the tribe are or have been warriors killing for cattle. However now they are given a possibility of a different lifestyle than killing for cow milk and blood. 

      

We had a long drive ahead of us to get back home. Approximately 7 hours. Even though it was advised against driving home late at night, we all wanted to sleep in our own beds. The reason for not driving home late at night is that there are no lights on the side of the roads so it is pitch black. In Uganda they drive like crazy without any rules or regulations which also do not add to the safety factors. We drove pass a terrible car crash there a truck had smashed a car, and we saw blood on the side of the door, but the truck driver had just driven away and left the scene. Sad. 

On the way home there were several security check points. We were stopped about ten times. The police at the checkpoints made a quick look in our cars and let us continue. There has been a political tension in Uganda ever since the presidential election was held a few weeks ago, and Moseveni came to power once again. However the opposition said that he had come to power through cheating and bribing. The opposition has said that they will not give in without a fight. Even though Musoveni is admired for toppling Idi Amins regime, he has been in power since 1986 which some think is too long. After what has happened in Egypt and Libya the concerns are greater. There are some speculations that the cell phones of people are tapped, and the security checkups have increased. Once my phone rang and an automatic voice mail was being played. It was the president holding a speech where he thanks for the election outcome and speaks of peace and unity.More measurements are set in to avoid riots. Nobody really knows if a revolution or a civil war will break out or not in Uganda but the concerns are there and the tension is getting higher. Just a day ago when Thore, Robin and I went to do some groceries, Siri called us. She had been informed there were severe riots and military force and for us not to head into town.

Despite all its conflicts, poverty, corruption, but also beauty, joy, and kindness I can only conclude that there is just something about Africa that touches the heart.    

The first day in Karamoja

The reason for the Karamoja trip was to handle two projects. For the first project Thore needed to make a handover of the reintegration of street children to the community based organization in Karamoja. When you drive through Kampala inner city you come upon street children running up to the car begging for money. The project entailed reintegrating these street children back to where they belong. Around 780 families were relocated back to Karamoja by ADRA.  Furthermore they received aid in forms of training in health matters, adult literacy and agriculture. They also received goods in forms of goats and seed supplies to establish a cropping climate. This specific project had been running for three years and had now come to an end. However ADRA has several other projects running in Karamoja. After dealing with the handover of this project we would overnight in Moroto and the following day we would head to the remote areas of Karamojo in Napak district. There Thore would monitor the water dam project being built by ADRA. There is an extreme drought in Karamoja and they people have to walk up to 10 km to get water. The karamojans can at times go three days without water. In order to get the inhabitants into agriculture water is very much needed.
Karamoja is in the northern part of Uganda and contains of seven districts. Karamoja is a very fierce and dangerous area, due to the cattle war. One cow means more to them than 100 people as said by programs officer Benon. The karomojans live on drinking milk and blood from the cows. They do not kill the cows and eat its meat unless it is dying. Instead they make a cut in one of the veins of the cow and sap out just enough of blood from the cow to prevent it from dying and then drink the blood. They leave the cow for a few days to recover and do the same procedure, this is the daily food.

Cattle mean everything for the karamojans. In order to get married you need to give 50 cows to the family of the wife to be. Benon told me that once he saw a girl running and a boy following to attack her. The girl screamed for them to stop the car. They did so, and picked her up. She uttered the only words she knew in English which was Thank you, Moroto please. They took her to Moroto and a person there spoke English and explained that the boy who chased her was most likely a family member that might beat her to death since she had engaged in a relationship with another man. This meant that since she was unclean, the family would forego getting 50 cows, and this anger of theirs would most probably kill her.

However due to the extreme drought the cows are dying. The warriors from different tribes then kill each other in order to get cows. They get their weapons from south of Sudan and Kenya which are bordering Karamoja.  At times the karamojan warriors have also attacked and shot at ADRA cars. Therefore military escort is a necessity. On the other hand ADRA has a very good reputation amongst the Karamojans since they are trying to help the karamojans overcome famine and find solutions for water. There have not yet been any casualties in ADRA Uganda. Furthermore there are several military base camps regulating the area. The government wants to eliminate the guns from the warriors due to casualties amongst each other but is also said to be done due to the minerals in the area. There is a raising awareness that there are very worth wild minerals in Karamoja, like gold. And if this is exploited and guns are involved who knows what can break out. But this recognition is yet on the surface.

We entered into a town named Irire in Karamoja which was very dry and sandy. The homes of people were huts. There was no green to be seen than just dry grass and mountains. The handover meeting was held in a simple building. The heat and dust is extreme and hard to bear. Entering the building we took our seats and about 50 people were gathered. The doors were open to give a cool wind but with that came all the dust which kept on blowing straight on our faces and in our eyes. After seated a cultural dance was presented by the beneficiaries. They were wearing colorful clothing and singing songs in the local language of Karamoja. The meaning was later explained about being grateful for being taken off the streets and their gratitude for now getting food and supplies.

During the three years running of this project ADRA set aside 15000 shilling each month which was promised to be given to the beneficiaries at the end of the project. Therefore with the handover of the project so was an amount of 6 million shilling (around 2000 EUR). This money was given to the beneficiaries but requested to be spent wisely. This freedom came with some concerns of what they would spend it on. Community leaders and district officials were gathered to participate in the handover and to encourage the beneficiaries that if needed, to seek advice from them on how to invest the money on sustainable solutions for the community.

 Thore has told me he does not like holding public speeches, and especially in Uganda were so many courtesy phrases need to be exchanged before actually starting of the conversation itself. What exactly these phrases mean we are uncertain of but they do not end at a simple hi. Thore tried to say a few of these phrases in the local language, but failed at his first attempt since they did not understand. It was quite amusing, but he tried again and they responded. He explained that ADRA Uganda can not do the work alone, but that the community needs to work together in partnership. He requested that the implemented project remain sustainable even after ADRA leaves. He said to keep in mind to always think in terms of the future. Just a simple thing as when you have a male goat and a female do not kill and eat it before making sure they reproduce. I thought to myself this knowledge is so basic, but I have realized that what we perceive as common sense and logical others do not. We are blessed to constantly be educated in the most important as well as trivial matters because we are spoilt with time. We prepare for tomorrow persistently and have never really endured any of the emotions these people have gone through. Being so hungry you just seek for quick solutions and do not reflect on a tomorrow is not a mindset we have. Therefore we take this awareness as given, but at times it is not.

ADRA has given the community, goats, cassava, mango, sunflower seeds, corn and etc goods. Since the Karamojans have only been cattle people placing such an (over)emphasis on cows as mentioned above they do not know much about other practices.  Therefore the most basic knowledge is of use.

The district officer of the Karamoja area then welcomed all of us gathered there and started singing a song in the native language to the community. The meaning of the songs was the elements of life that brought upon 30 years of famine in Karamoja and the inability to think for themselves. He thanked ADRA for all the help that has been granted and the help that is being done in other areas of Karamoja. Then he spoke to the community asking them, “are you able to stand for yourself?” He continued speaking the local language to the community asking them not only to receive the money but to spend it wisely. He continued saying that the evolvement needs to continue. He said it is like the stages of evolution. Man at first lived out in the nature, but then discovered the fire and moved to the cave, and thereafter they built huts, and with time were able to build cement buildings as the one we were seated in, and then some people like the Americans he said requested more land and came up with the solution of sky scrapers. Then he looked at us and asked jokingly, “which stage do you think the karamojans are in? Most of them are still at the hut stage”. 

After ending the meeting we headed off to Moroto. Moroto city is a bigger and a little bit more civilized area one could say. The people were dressed in full clothing and were looking clean. There were a few shops, and a few hotels. The hotel we were assigned to stay in was considered to have a better condition. However our hotel room was in very bad shape and covered in the inevitable dust. In the evening we decided to have some tea on the patio.  It took about an hour for the tea to arrive, and it smelt like the drainage pipes, but after placing the tea bag in the water we disregarded that fact. We sat under the pitch black sky filled with stars, and I felt the light breeze against my skin which was a nice change to the heat we had endured during the day. It is funny, the more simplistic you have it in life the more you appreciate the little details that you otherwise so often overlook.

Thore and the rest of us engaged in a conversation about the people in Africa and their faith. Everyone in Uganda believes in a higher power. God’s name is exposed all over. The shops are named Gods salon or Gods supermarket or Gods grace coffee house and on the back of each taxi it is written “through God all is possible”. Faith is a part of everyday life here however at home (Europe) if you believe in a higher power you are considered by some to be nuts. There is a need for God in Africa which there is not in the west since we often believe we have everything so we do not need God. However there is a spiritual emptiness in the west which all the wealth and riches can not fill. It addresses the soul which yearns for a meaning in life. There is now an increase worldwide for a search for spirituality. Before arriving to Uganda I needed to do a lot of studies about this and I realized that only in a few countries does atheism prevail. Are then the majority of people nuts? Thore continued explaining that if you look to a person who is dying or whose loved one is sick, most of them will call out for God. This is because in every person there is an inbuilt question that there might be something more to life than what we can see.  
I asked him if the Adventist religion which ADRA follows is ever indirectly imposed on people in need. He said that faith is something personal and one can not impose or change another person’s faith unless it comes from their own choice. We act in accordance with Gods compassion. God loves all mankind regardless of their belief, so even though we believe ourselves we do not impose it on anyone, nor are we selective on whom we help. Forcing to follow God through fear is the absolute wrong way to go about it. No one wants to or can be truly loved by fear, and God does not wish for this either.  I myself believe that the key to both sides of the coin is to respect and understand each other’s disposition in life. Most of my closest friends do not have faith, and they think that believers can display a sense of superiority, just as those who don’t believe can display an extremely judgmental attitude towards believers. Neither of this is preferable.

I had during the day seen several NGO cars in Moroto, belonging to UNICEF, the UN, World food programme etc. Thore said that tomorrow I would see that when we get outside of Moroto and drive to the deep areas of Karamoja I would see no other NGO cars in those areas, since no one operates there than ADRA due to the extremity. However those vast village areas are the ones that need the most help. The soldiers would escort us and function as scare crows in case some warrior would attempt to attack the cars. We had finished the tea and it was late. We had a long day ahead of us. We said good night and I left for my dirty room, with an anticipation of not knowing what to expect tomorrow.

Kamwenge

They day before heading for Kamwenge Elin (Robin’s teacher) and I decided to get some clothes. I of course had brought to little with me as I always do. However at times it is deliberate since I most often get cheaper clothes abroad. Purity joined us since she knew the good places. She took us to the fancier shops at first. She needed to go away for a second so Elin and I were left alone. I have not really got the whole deal of the money exchange rate but when we speak in terms of Euros they speak in terms of thousand shillings. I am really bad at exchange rates, and learning how to think in terms of Euros after my move to Amsterdam and not Swedish kronor was hard enough, now 1 Euro or 8 SEK is around 3000 shilling, I think not sure. I just let the money rate eventually get to me and learn from there. Anyways I had no idea how much a dress should cost and I thought the prices the sales girl mentioned were way to expensive.  You know when you end up bargaining and then you go so low they think you are nuts, No? Well I do that often, as I did today. When she did not give in we left. When we met Purity she laughed at the offers we had made and said that it was way too low. But she realized we wanted really cheap clothes so she said she will take us to the flea market, but no white people go there and it is quite hectic. We headed there and she was so right, it was enormous and everyone was pulling Elin and me in different directions, and trying to sell clothes at the same time expressing their love for us, or in other words as I would like to put it, asking for a ticket to Europe (or the USA since they kept screaming hello America after us) We however got what we needed and more. It was really cheap though you could not try anything on but just buy on feeling. Luckily all my purchases fit me, but Elin did not have the same luck. Before we headed back, we decided to eat out, and we went to an Indian restaurant. I was so thrilled to finally have some spices in my food again, but the others found it too spicy and mainly drank water. Walking out of there I almost got hit by a mattress or more like ten of them. The guy carrying them had all of them on top of his head and could not see where he was heading. The amount of things they can carry on their head is amazing. Elin and I concluded that this must be the reason why we have not seen any hunchback Africans but all have quite good postures.

The following day I left for a field work mission in Kamwenge. Robina the programs officer and Jimmie the driver from ADRA Uganda, as well as Soulpeace from ADRA Tanzania were all heading there. Soulpeace was requested to start a micro finance project for the albino rural community in Tanzania. Soulpeace himself is an albino. At first when I saw him I was not only surprised by his name but also finding out he was an African. However when you take a closer look at him he has the features distinctive of an African but only differs in color. Soulpeace had asked to accompany ADRA Uganda to kamwenge and get inside tips on how to go about the micro finance project. The drive was about 7 hours and an overnight so we had a lot of time to engage in conversations and get to know each other better. It was a lot of fun. Robina who seemed to be so reserved at work turned out to be quite open and amusing. She was constantly teasing with the driver Jimmy as well as Soulpeace. Soulpeace was constantly nodding off in sleep since he had been up until two in the morning the previous night in order to finish a report. West Uganda has beautiful landscapes and a lot of nature, so Rabina kept awakening Soulpeace so he could view the sceneries. Jimmy the driver who is fairly young was cracking small remarks with Robina about everything and nothing. In the background the morning radio show was playing. The hosts were making a parody of how men should cook more for their wives but when they offer to help, their wives say they should sit down and do not need help. Rabina was telling Jimmy he should cook when he gets a wife, and Jimmy said he would if he had one. Jimmy then told about his previous girlfriends and asked for advice from us if there was anything he could improve. His last relationship had lasted for a year, and quick steps of commitment were taken between the two. It ended three months ago with her saying she was no longer in love. Jimmy is only 28 and since it had ended so recently I told him not to feel stressed but that I just don’t think he has met the girl he is supposed to be with. Relationships are not always a bed of roses but require hard work and partnership. If she all of a sudden let go of it that easily she apparently was not in it for the whole way. Robina had at another occasion given him the exact same advice. Soulpeace however had other advice to give him. He started speaking of how nowadays African women have modernized and started gossiping. They meet each other and gossip and compare their men to each other and if one man sounds better than the other they leave.  This triggered of something in Robina and a discussion of how she was tired that the African women always get the blame for failed relationships began. Furthermore nor she or I got his point of the gossiping. Sure women do confide in their friends but so do men. It can be the case that women speak more but that should not be the reasoning behind a break up. Moreover he stated that women should not speak of their relationship to anyone, and the debate just went deeper and deeper into details between him and Robina of what his comment entailed. It was very amusing to listen to but eventually Soulpeace gave up and said he did not wish to have a gender discussion. Then Robina jokingly asked him not to be offended but to maintain the peace that is attached to his name. We all laughed and agreed upon to drop it.

They did however tell me that women are quite suppressed in Uganda but it is getting better. However in the village ares this change is harder. For instance the women could not eat chicken since the man should get all the chicken. If a woman would question were her husband had been if he arrived late at night she would get a beating, since it was none of her business. However I did relate to one thing Soulpeace said about modernization. He said when it happens to fast it can be implemented incorrectly and takes turns to extremities. He said African traditions can not be compared to Europe since it breaks down the family unities when imposed to fast. I believe that being culturally sensitive is of utmost importance when addressing change. Travelling and living in different places in the world, as well as having a mixed cultural background of my own has taught me, that the concept of our way of doing things does not necessarily need to be neither the right way nor the only way of doing things.

During the rest of the long ride we listened to Lucky Dube. He is a South African artist with good lyrics addressing important topics. Robina told me he was one day driving an expensive car, and some thieves wanted to steal it (Having been in South Africa I knew that this type of car theft was very common). The thieves did not see who was driving and they shot him. When they realized it was Lucky Dube they were devastated and left the car as it was and turned themselves in.

When we entered the remote village area of Kamwenge the people were flocking around me and staring. Some of the children and adults had never seen a person of my color before and my presence opened a realization that there are people with several shades of skin. The Kamwenge community is entailing Ugandans but also refugees from Tanzania that initially moved to Uganda around 70 years ago. However the Ugandans did not wish to have them there so they were sent back to Tanzania, but the Tanzanians did not wish to have them either. Eventually they were placed in Uganda’s care. They were then placed in refugee camps in Kamwenge and lived under extreme conditions. This occurred around ten years ago. They were an outcast of both societies and had nothing to earn their livelihood of and were dying. The government wanted to integrate the Tanzanians with the rest of the community in Kamwenge and give the whole community both the Tanzanians and Ugandans living there a better livelihood. The government then contacted ADRA to intervene and help enable a sustainable livelihood. ADRA gave them goods to prevent famine and the skills and knowledge to create sustainable development in diverse areas. Since Soulpeace intent was to question some of the community groups of their micro finance activities three meetings with the beneficiaries were arranged.

We drove on narrow and bumpy roads to get to the first community group. We reached a small hut and outside there was a goat and a small calf. On the ground there were about 20 beneficiaries gathered and sitting on the dry grass. They had placed two chairs and a small bench for us to sit on but eventually we all joined them in the grass. When the meeting with them was over, we were supposed to drive to the remaining community groups. There were two more meetings left to go. However Soulpeace felt he had received enough of information from this group so it was decided that the following meetings would be very short. I decided to sit in the back of the pickup with some of the beneficiaries who wanted to join us along the way and be dropped off. Jimmy told me not to since it would be very dusty and I could fall off, but I thought if they can so can I. The back was open and we all were cramped in it together. However I enjoyed the ride and sitting amongst them. They were laughing at how poorly I was handling the dust or maybe something else, I am not sure since I did not understand a word they were saying to each other. When we got to the final community group meeting Soulpeace just wished to say hello and good bye, since we had a long drive back ahead of us. However the community group had waited all morning and given up their daily tasks for our arrival. To just leave without asking them anything I felt would be sad. I sat by Robina and saw her upset face, and she asked if I could at least ask some questions to them. I said I would. I told Soulpeace in the middle of his good bye speech that I would like to ask them something even though I had not really anything to ask. However I thought they should feel needed and not to think that ADRA had asked them to come in vain. It just felt like the right thing to do. Soulpeace was a bit irritated but I disregarded that fact. Robina was interpreting for me and I asked them what their current challenges were. They said that they still have too little capital, there are a lot of widowers in the group and orphan children, and shortage of water and of physical assets like a school and hospital. When asking what ADRA had done for them, a crippled man in a wheelchair spoke. He said ADRA has done so much for them and for him. ADRA gave him the ability to write his own name, and he and others no longer needed to use a thumb print as identification. He said ADRA gave the group goods and skills and knowledge as well as the wheel chair he possessed. He said his whole family and relatives were murdered in the bushman war, and has four children to support. He said that his wheel chair was breaking down and he needed a new one. Robina then spoke to the people in luganda asking the community what they could do for the man in the wheel chair. I do not know what exactly was said but it seemed to be a very difficult situation for the community to help the man due to their own lack of money. Suddenly Robina leaves the conversation in tears and hides behind the car. Robina has been working with these types of situations for 10 years, but still got so emotionally heartbroken. It touched me to see her get so affected and I went to comfort her. I asked her if maybe l could contribute with something and she said we all can. We gathered 90 000 shilling which we handed to the man in the wheel chair. This act addresses individual help which is not the perspective of the community based idea, but at times the human heart speaks louder than policies, which it did in this case. We all were pleased we had stayed a bit longer, even Soulpeace.